Illustrative photo of an Iranian warship (Alex Hicks, Wikimedia Commons)
Times of Israel: Iran to send ‘fleet of warships’ to the Atlantic Ocean
Tehran’s navy chief says vessels will ‘soon berth’ at Atlantic ports
Iran intends to dispatch “a fleet of warships” to the Atlantic Ocean shortly, the semi-state Fars news agency reported Thursday, quoting the regime’s navy chief.
“Our warships will soon berth at ports in the Atlantic Ocean,” Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari promised at a ceremony on Wednesday marking the return to port of Iranian warships that Fars said had taken part in joint drills with the Russian navy.
Sayyari said the Iranian vessels had been in the Caspian Sea and at the Russian port of Astrakhan. “The presence of Iranian warships in international ports shows the Iranian Navy’s prowess,” Fars quoted him saying.
Update: Iran to launch ‘fleet of warships’ to the Atlantic -- Washington Times
WU Editor: This is not the first time that Iran has promised to send a ‘fleet of warships’ to the Atlantic Ocean .... Iran Announces That It Is Sending It's Naval Fleet To The U.S. Coast.
2 comments:
As a former naval person, I welcome the Iranian fleet to the Atlantic, especially anywhere near the Eastern Seaboard. There are several reasons for this equanimity:
1. Iranian has ships roughly the size of Western destroyers, or, more accurately, frigates. Assuming that the ships are 100% operational (at least from a propulsion perspective) I doubt that they have the range to cross the Atlantic, unless they first refueled at a port on the Eastern coast of the Atlantic. I know of no European country that would refuel them.
2. To my knowledge, Iran has no capacity to refuel and resupply ships while underway. Any Iranian flotilla crossing the Atlantic would have to bring a supply/tanker ship along, and even if they have such a ship they have no experience (to my knowledge) conducting underway replenishments. It is also fair to say that the Iranians are not renowned for their technical maintenance skills. I wonder whether their ship operate at 100% capacity.
3. Once in the Western hemisphere, the Iranian flotilla would have to refuel and reprovision again before returning. The interesting possibility is that the United States' new friends in Cuba would provide the port, fuel, and supplies to the Iranians.
4. The Iranian flotilla would have no air cover. The entire U.S. Atlantic Fleet (not already deployed), and Navy and U.S. Air Force aircraft stationed along the Eastern Seaboard, would be available in any confrontation. Such a confrontation would be short and not likely to end in Iran's favor. In sum, Iran's threat is mainly a symbolic gesture of defiance and loathing for the Great Satan.
5. It is interesting that Iran's defiant gesture of hostility follows the nuclear deal. In effect, the Iranian Government has been emboldened by the deal to increase its posturing.
The Iranian Navy has one Kharg Class support and replenishment ship, 2 Bandar Abbas Class support and replentishment ships, and 7 Delvar Class tankers/freighters.
These long distance cruises are undertaken primarily as a means of training, showing the flag, and cross training.
In 2014 the Iranian Navy sent the 29th "Fleet" on a deployment into the Atlantic, but at the last moment, after stops in Oman, Dijbuti(so), Durban, the "Fleet" was recalled and redeployed to support UN Anti-Piracy Operations in the Red Sea, where they successfully rescued two freighters from pirate attacks.
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